“We trust teachers and that’s why we have already announced a series of measures to put head teachers and teachers back in control of the classroom – including ending the rule requiring schools to give 24 hours written notice for detentions and increased search powers.

“We will introduce further measures to strengthen teacher authority and support schools in maintaining good behaviour.”

Shadow schools minister Vernon Coaker said: “These figures show that exclusions from schools were falling sharply under the last Labour government, because we were working with teachers and schools to get to grips with indiscipline in our schools.

“Thanks to tough new powers for teachers as well as more action to nip bad behaviour in the bud early on, including through suspensions, Ofsted found that behaviour in our schools was improving.”

Academies

Alison Ryan, education policy adviser at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “We are pleased that there has been an overall fall in the numbers of pupils excluded from school, but it is disheartening that children from disadvantaged families are still more likely to be excluded than their peers.

“Schools need more training plus support from the social and health services to help them reduce exclusions among pupils with SEN, those receiving free school meals, from Black Caribbean and Gypsy and Traveller families.

“We also continue to be concerned about the much higher rate of exclusions in academies – twice that in secondary schools. This has worrying implications in the rush to turn more schools into academies.”